PARTY PLANNING

Planning a party can be an exciting, but also very stressful activity. If you are not an organized person or don’t mind the details, I advise you to give it up and hire professional help. Actually, depending on the amount of guests, you can be 100% hands on or you can have as little work as making the guest list, it’s up to you.

I’ve just came back from Brazil where I threw an engagement brunch for 60 guests. Here’s how it happened:

1- FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Since it was around Christmas time, it was impossible to find time to prep, cook and bake for so many people. So, a local catering company was hired to bring the food for the buffet table, sweets for the desert table and all non-alcoholic beverages.

2- PROSECCO: I bought four cases at a local liquor store and left a couple of extra cases in stand by in case of need (one more was needed so I had a friend to pick it up for me). Whiskey was also available but since it was too hot outside, guests preferred the sparkling wine.

3- MUSIC: A local duo was hired to play background music since it was not a party with a dance floor.

4- FLOWERS: Since I wanted fuchsia color flowers, and I know how hard (or expensive) it is to find these flowers at this time of year, I bought artificial flowers that worked even better. Look online for better deals and get only the ones that look real. Everybody was asking where I got such gorgeous flowers. And of course, they are now stored for the next opportunity.

5- IDENTITY: Every event needs an identity. It can be a theme, a color palette, a number… anything. This party was pink and brown and had some “romance” in the air. Since I’m a DIY person, I designed the invitation, the labels for the favors and the food, sewed the felt garlands, packaged the favors and set up the venue according to a decoration plan.

6- FAVORS: Fans to escape from the hot weather, handmade sachet, lollypop for the kids and the LUP (since the groom sells iPhone accessories online).